


Loudwater

by morierblackleaf



Series: Induration [2]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-26
Updated: 2014-11-27
Packaged: 2018-02-12 06:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2099454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morierblackleaf/pseuds/morierblackleaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 2 of my "Induration" series. This story takes place after "The Unfurling Leaf," with "Warm Comfort" occurring sometime after this one.</p><p>As alluded to in my other stories, Estel and Legolas have  a long history of friendship before they ever become lovers. This is the tale of how Estel meets Legolas for the first time and ends up being saved by Legolas from drowning in the Bruinen. This is a friendly story with no slash, no warnings, and only the vaguest foreshadowing of events that occur in future stories.</p><p>I own none of these characters and make no money from writing about them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The human child ran as fast as his considerably shorter legs would take him, his excitement overshadowing his trepidation to meet his foster brothers' friend. Although he had heard Elladan and Elrohir speak often of the Prince of Eryn Galen, Estel had yet to meet him. Being only ten years old and having lived in The Last Homely House since he was two, the eight years of his having been fostered by Elrond seemed a long time to Estel, but to the twins the time had been terribly short. They had not seen Legolas in over fifteen years – a short wait for an Elf but still longer a wait than normal for the three friends to go without visiting each other. They were just as eager to greet the Prince; while their long legs only strode to the courtyard, Estel had trouble keeping up even though he was nearly running. He was constantly in awe of his much older brothers and sought to be like them in all ways. Wherever they went, the Adan was sure to be close behind if he was allowed and often he followed them even if he was not permitted.

Having lived in Imladris for as long as he could remember, Estel knew plenty about Elves. After the death of the Adan’s father, who was little more than a name to Estel, the grieving Lady Gilraen had despaired of raising her only child and knew she could not keep him safe, so had left him in the care of Lord Elrond and then returned to her people. To Estel, his mother was also little more than a name. His earliest memories were not of his true parents, but of the Elf whom he considered his father – Lord Elrond – and of the two identical Noldor whom he loved as his brothers – Elladan and Elrohir.

Estel was currently the only human living in the house, although occasionally a human merchant would pass through for trade. Once even, one of the Dúnedain came to the valley with an injury from fighting Orcs. Estel had not been allowed to see the Ranger but he had begged the story from the twins of how the Ranger had been injured. Yet, other than those few visitors, Estel had yet to meet anyone outside his foster father's household or the occasional messenger from Lothlórien. For the occupants of Rivendell, Prince Legolas' coming was a common occurrence. To Estel, it was the most exciting event yet to have happened to him.

Elrohir and Elladan were already in the courtyard by the time Estel finally made it. The young human hitched his trousers up and straightened his tunic, huffing with exertion as he slowed upon his approach to the twins. Thus far, the Wood-Elves had yet to come down the winding path leading from the foothill above down into the narrow valley in which Rivendell sat. He could only just make out the four mounted beings at the start of the steep, rocky path.

"Look who finally showed," Elladan ribbed Estel, tousling the Adan's curly hair with unconcealed affection. In Estel's experience with the Elves of Imladris, most were reserved to the point of being boring. Not his twin brothers, though.

"He can't help it if his legs are short!" Elrohir defended the Adan with a merry laugh.

Giving the two Noldor a grin, Estel climbed onto the balustrade of the courtyard's steps with enthusiastic, childish energy, and perched upon it to wait. "One day," he assured them, "my legs will be long and I will outrun you both!"

His foster brothers hadn't the heart to tell the human he wasn't ever likely to be able to outrun them. Estel had not yet learnt the limitations of being an Adan instead of an Elf. So instead, the younger twin teased, "Yes, when Elladan is old and grey, you might finally be able to outrun him."

Elladan snickered at this although the human child wasn't sure what was funny. Although no fool, Estel had not quite grasped the strange humor his foster brothers shared. The identical brothers were an odd pair, often confusing others – including Estel – for their own amusement. They were well-loved in Imladris, though, and whereas the pranks and jokes they told and pulled would have caused strife had they been anyone else, the population of the valley took the twins in stride for the pair of brothers always meant well, were valorous and helpful, shared their father’s skill in healing and warcraft, and despite their sometimes juvenile actions, both had sharp minds and wise counsel for anyone who asked it of them.

“You ought to be careful, Estel,” Elrohir said in a hushed tone. Both twins looked suddenly serious as they drew close to where the human sat on the balustrade. “Wood-Elves are much different than the Elves who live here in the valley.”

“Yes,” Elladan continued, picking up his twin’s narrative as if he knew just what falsehood his brother had cooked up. Perhaps he didn’t know what fib Elrohir intended to tell the Adan, but he could see his identical brother was brewing mischief. Few in years, Estel had yet to learn how to discern when his foster brothers were being mendacious for the purpose of their strange fun and so listened raptly when Elladan told him, “The Silvan of the Greenwood are not like the Noldor whom you live among now, nor are they the same as our mother’s people in Lothlórien.”

The young human turned his gaze back to the slow descent of the Elves in question, who were still making their way single file down the narrow walkway to the valley. There were others means of getting into the hidden vale, but Estel supposed this one must have been closest to from where the Silvan had come. To his recollection, he had never been outside the valley; according to his foster Ada, it would be a few years yet before he would get the chance. “But he is your friend, you said. He’s not dangerous, is he?”

“Yes, yes,” Elrohir told Estel, “he is our friend, but we are Elves, as well, so we have nothing to fear. Legolas is the most dangerous out of all of his kin, for he is not only a Wood-Elf but their Prince.” The younger of the twins came to stand just beside the young Adan, speaking to him as if the Wood-Elves – who had only now reached the bottom of the trail and would soon begin to cross the bridge joining the southern bank of the Bruinen to the northern bank where they waited – might overhear their conversation. “You must be careful,” Elrohir said in a hush, “because the royalty of the Silvan of the Greenwood use strange magic, and to perform this magic, they must make use of young human boys.”

“Elrohir,” the elder twin admonished with a wry smile, “don’t tell him stories like that. You’ll give him nightmares!”

The younger twin rolled his eyes at his elder brother but held his hands up in acquiescence, saying, “Fine, fine. We will let him learn on his own, then.”

Elladan laughed boisterously at his brother and then again at Estel’s worried frown. To appease the young human, he told Estel, “Don’t worry. Wood-Elves don’t use human children for their magic.” Ruffling the Adan’s hair affectionately, as the twins were wont to do and did as often as Estel was within reach, he added in a whisper, “Not all of them, anyway. Just pieces.”

At this, Elrohir laughed just as loudly as his brother had before and clapped Estel on the back, causing the Adan to tip over and then roll off the balustrade on which he had been sitting. Estel landed deftly on his feet while thinking, _I can never tell when they are joking or being serious!_

Finally, the Silvan were across the bridge and coming into the courtyard, their horses blowing through their wide nostrils great gusts of air from the effort of their arduous journey, their riders covered in dust and mud and smelling of horseflesh. Although each of the Elves was dressed differently, they all wore similar colors – dark fir green tunics, fawn and bark colored, doeskin trousers, and undershirts of varying lighter hues. While two had light hair with similar shades of blue eyes, the other two had hair the color of well-steeped tea and their eyes were as dark brown as the mud covering their boots. None of them was wearing armor except bracers but they all had short, undecorated bows upon their equally unornamented quivers. Two wore long swords at their waists, one had a set of long knives attached to his quiver, and the last had both a long sword and a set of knives. They were well armed but not well armored, it seemed to the young Adan – at least, not in the manner he had seen his foster father’s people dress when riding out to hunt Orcs or journey through treacherous lands.

 _With their brown legs and green arms, they look like trees,_ Estel thought, and then realized this was probably the exact reason they dressed so, for they would blend in well in the forest outfitted as they were. He knew only a little of the Silvan but from what he had been told, the Wood-Elves were more likely to hunt and battle from the trees than from the ground, so heavy, cumbersome armor only hindered them.

All Elves were fair to the human, but the fairest amongst the Silvan horsed before him and maybe the fairest male Elf he’d ever seen was the tall, lithe Wood-Elf who had hair the color of butter, skin the color of cream, and teeth as white as milk. His sky blue eyes were full of liveliness when he brought his mare to a halt only a few feet in front of the Noldorin twins and their human foster brother. While the other Wood-Elves, who Estel guessed must be the Prince’s sentries, were bowing where they sat upon their horses in deference to the twin sons of the Lord of the Last Homely House, one of the Wood-Elves did not act decorously but dismounted before his mare had even stopped.

_I was right. Surely, this one is their Prince._

Hopping off his steed with a wide smile upon his face, this Elf’s doeskin booted feet had barely touched the ground before he was moving towards Elladan and Elrohir, his arms raised in greeting. Together, the two Noldorin brothers soon had the Wood-Elf Prince squished between them in a tight hug.

“Greenleaf!” they welcomed the Silvan in tandem. Still with Legolas and Elrohir mishmashed in his arms and he in their arms, Elladan went on to receive the other Wood-Elves, calling one of them by name in saying, “Off your horse already, Kalin – you and your sentries. You know you are always welcome in our father’s house.”

With great interest, the Adan watched as the other of the fair-haired Silvan smiled and leapt down from his own horse. “Lord Elrond has our thanks, Lord Elladan, as do you, for your kindness and hospitality.”

The other Silvan bounded down as well and within a few moments, stable hands appeared to lead away the tired horses. The two dark haired sentries gave their own short greetings and sincere thanks before they went on their way without being told by their Prince where to go; but then, they likely knew just where they’d be staying in the Last Homely House, as often as they came to visit with their Prince. Estel stayed near to the stair’s balustrade where he could watch what was happening without being in the way. He was often in the way, it seemed. Although the other two sentries left, the one named Kalin remained behind, however, and with a puzzled look on his face, came to where Estel was lurking behind one of the posts of the railing. The sentry gave the human a benevolent smile and a nod, and then leant upon the railing near to him.

 _If Wood-Elves use young human children for magic, they wouldn’t look so kind, would they?_ he questioned himself.

When at last the twins let go of the Prince of Eryn Galen, they led him straight to Estel. In mild surprise, Legolas looked down at the young one while Elrohir introduced him. “Meet our human brother, Silvan brother,” he said with a laugh, calling Legolas his brother just as he did Estel, ere he turned to the young Adan to say, “Estel, meet Prince Legolas.”

The Wood-Elf smiled at him and bent at the knee so he was level to the Adan’s height, and then Legolas bowed slightly as he said with a brilliant grin, “Greetings, Estel. I am Legolas, but in this house, amongst your brothers and father, I am often called Greenleaf. You may call me by either name, so long as you please do not call me Prince.”

Immediately and despite his lingering suspicion of the Silvan nabbing him for some magical rite, Estel came out from behind the post where he’d been hiding, for the Prince’s cheerful smile was as welcoming and friendly as a whole stack of honeyed cakes. Unable to resist, the Adan smiled back just as widely and said, “My name is Estel.”


	2. Chapter 2

He gamboled along behind the twins and their Silvan friend, his short legs barely able to keep up with their long legs’ strides, until they were inside the Last Homely House and the three Elves paused. Elrohir was telling the Wood-Elf Prince, “Ada would have come to greet you, as well, but said he expects you for the evening meal, in his study, on the terrace, as usual. He has some pressing meeting with Erestor and his other advisors right now, a meeting we are supposed to be part of, in truth.”

“Elrohir and I are shirking the meeting, as we speak, so we had best catch the end of it, if we can,” the older of the twin Noldorin lords told the Prince. “Meanwhile, I know just what you wish to do,” Elladan told Legolas, shoving his arm slightly in playful scorn, “and we’ve already had the servants on standby to bring water to your rooms for a bath.”

Estel watched the Wood-Elf laugh, thinking he had never seen anyone as jolly as Legolas. “You know me too well, it seems. I was hoping to have a bath as soon as possible. I smell of horse.”

“You do, indeed. We could smell you before the border guard ever sent word you were approaching,” Elladan teased, causing all three Elves to laugh and Estel to wonder at the change in his brothers, for he had rarely seen them so exultant.

“The servants are carting buckets of water to your room as we speak,” Elrohir said with a grin. He took his twin’s arm and pulled him along with him towards the hall of fire, where the council’s palaver was taking place, but said over his shoulder, “Stay out of trouble, Estel. And we will come find you for dinner, Greenleaf!”

Legolas waved them on with another cheerful laugh and then shook his head. As nervous as Estel was to be cut to bits by the Wood-Elf and then used for magic, the thought had occurred to him that perhaps being the Silvan’s friend might keep him from such a fate. If he could be of help to the Wood-Elf, he might be able to befriend him. “Do you remember where your room is?” the young Adan asked the Prince.

At hearing the human’s voice, Legolas looked behind him and then down to Estel’s short level. It seemed the Prince had nearly forgotten Estel was there, but of course, the Adan had been trying to go unnoticed, so he was actually pleased he had been able to be so quiet that he’d been overlooked. It might serve him well should he become the focus of Legolas’ magical incantations. “I think I can remember where my room is, yes, Master Human, but perhaps you can walk with me, just in case I’ve forgotten?”

Estel had the feeling the Prince was teasing him, just as his Elven brothers often did. He didn’t let it bother him, though, as he was quite used to it, and so he only grinned shyly at the Silvan and told him, “I have lived here for years but I still get lost.”

At this, the Wood-Elf threw his head back and laughed with utmost merriment. The Elves in Rivendell were a joyous folk but reserved in many ways. Estel had never seen any of them laugh as much as the Prince of Mirkwood, save for his brothers, perhaps. If Legolas was any indication of the temperament of the Wood-Elves in Mirkwood, then Estel determined, _The Silvan must laugh and dance and feast all the time!_

“You have lived here for years, you say?” the Prince asked in hilarity. He held his hand out to gesture Estel to lead the way. “Then perchance we won’t get lost.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Being from Mirkwood, where his father’s underground palace and much of the populous were dependent upon the human settlement of Lake-town for wine and other foodstuffs, Legolas was accustomed to humans. However, he couldn’t recall the last time he had actually spoken for any length of time to an Adan so young. This was no normal human, however, for the Adan spoke and moved like the Elves with whom he lived, though perhaps not with the same fluency and grace. He had the mannerisms of his foster brothers, as if he had made a point of studying the twins.

 _Perhaps he has,_ Legolas thought, watching the Adan as the gangly child leapt up the stairs two at a time, just as Elladan and Elrohir would do. _If he patterns himself after Elladan and Elrohir, I worry what may come of him,_ the Prince jested to himself. Truly, though, he loved the Noldorin twins as he would have his own siblings, had he any to love. If there were any two Elves whom he wished were his brothers, it would be Elladan and Elrohir, so if Estel had to be reared by the Elves, as it seemed he did, then Legolas could not have imagined a finer family for him than Elrond and his sons.

The Adan was entertaining Legolas with a tale about the waterfall of the Bruinen, which the Prince was patiently trying to follow the telling of, such that it took Legolas a moment to notice Estel was taking him by an oddly circuitous route, as if he weren’t actually very sure how to get to the family hall of rooms. However, Legolas imagined since the Adan was being fostered in Elrond’s house he had been placed in the same hall as the rest of the family.

It took longer than it would have taken Legolas on his own, but finally, they came to the Prince’s chambers, where the Adan stopped to ask him, “This is your room, is it not?”

“It is. We have finally found it,” he replied to Estel. As he opened the door to his chambers – the same set of rooms in which he stayed every time he came to Imladris, rooms he had used since first coming to the valley with his Naneth and ones kept for him and him alone – he asked the Adan, “Where is your room, Estel?”

The child took a few steps across the hall and flung open the door to his own chamber, which happened to lay right across the hall from Legolas’ chambers. The Prince knew the room, for it had once been where the Prince and the Noldorin twins had built their forts and played stones when they were Elflings. It had been a playroom, of sorts, filled with the kinds of toys and games young Elflings are fond of, though now it held a bed and dresser for Estel. It also held a variety of the very same toys Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas had played with millennia ago when they were children as the Adan was now.

“I was given this room when I was young,” Estel told him, pulling closed the door to his messy chamber. “Ada said I couldn’t stay in a room with a balcony because I was always climbing and falling.”

Legolas chuckled. In fact, he could not seem to stop laughing at the precocious human. “When you were younger? How old are you, if you do not mind my asking?”

“I will be eleven years fairly soon,” the Adan said smugly, as if this was an accomplishment of which he was very proud. With his curly mop of hair bouncing around on top of his head, Estel grinned up at Legolas, telling him, “When I am fifteen, Ada says I can go beyond the valley to hunt with Elrohir and Elladan.”

_He has spent fewer years alive than I’ve spent years since last visiting Rivendell!_

He did not say this aloud, however, for he didn’t want to insult the young human. Instead, the Prince placed his bag upon the bed with the intention of following the trail of water drops on the floor to see if his bath was full, but a glint of metal stole his attention. Legolas bent down to see better the object lying under the edge of the bed.

Retrieving the source of said glint, which as it turned out was a horse fashioned from pewter, the Wood-Elf said aloud, “Why, it appears as if a horse has found its way under my bed.”

The Prince smiled though he tried not to laugh at the Adan child when Estel’s eyes grew wide and his face became as rubicund as a ripe raspberry. _For some reason, he acts as if he is both fascinated and frightened of me._

“I’m sorry,” Estel told the Prince. “I promise I don’t touch any of your belongings,” the Adan apologized. To Legolas, the human seemed afraid the Wood-Elf might thrash him. “It’s just your room has a balcony, so sometimes I sneak in here to play.”

Entirely unaware of the teasing lie Elladan and Elrohir had told Estel, Legolas thought to put the child at ease by saying, “I do not care if you play in here, Estel,” but thinking of the daggers and other weapons he might chance to store in the room while here and while away, he warned the Adan, “Just so long as you stay out of this trunk.” Kicking said trunk with his booted foot – the trunk he kept at the end of his bed for his clothes and other items he left in the valley between stays – Legolas told the child, “There are dangerous items in here young boy’s should not touch, lest you get hurt.” When he saw the human seemed indignant from being chastised, he added jokingly, “Or lest you be turned into a spiderling!”

Again, Estel’s eyes grew until his grey irises seemed to lighten the wider they became. Without warning, the Adan fled the room, across the hall, and into his own room. With a definitive thud, his door slammed shut.

 _What did I say?_ the Prince asked himself, but then laughed and went about taking his bath. He would be here for months and so had plenty of time to make friends with his Noldorin brothers’ new human brother.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Estel peeped out through the crack in his slightly ajar door in wait for the Prince to leave his rooms. It was not yet dinnertime, although his stomach already rumbled in anticipation for it. Estel could hear the Wood-Elf singing. The Noldor often sang. In fact, they sang so much that sometimes the Adan wished he could plug his ears full of cotton so he could get some sleep, for being Elves, the Noldor loved above all else to sing at night, when young human children are most likely to be sleeping. Right now, the Wood-Elf was singing a song Estel had never heard before. It was a song of battle and blood and Orcs and spiders, of arrows flying through the air and swords clashing against armor. It was a most violent song; Estel loved it.

Even with the Prince’s door shut, the lilting timbre of Legolas’ voice was mesmerizing, what with the disparity between the berceuse-like way in which he sang and the content of the song being so full of death and ferocity. Eventually, before the song was over, he saw his Elven brothers come down the hall. Quickly, Estel pulled his door shut so they would not see him spying. They always seemed to catch him doing things he ought not to be doing, but this time, at least, they had not noticed.

Elladan knocked on his door, saying, “Come, Estel. Dinnertime!”

The Adan only then realized he hadn’t washed up for dinner as was expected of him. His Elven foster father was adamant for his human son to wash his face and hands before coming to the dinner table. He made few demands of the Adan but this was one that would earn Estel a lecture should he not do it.

Quickly, he ran to the washbasin, threw water on his face, and grabbed a towel to pat his hands and face dry, hearing Elladan ask outside again, “Estel?”

In the process of hastening through his washing up, the Adan sloshed water all down the front of his tunic, onto the table, and across the floor.

“I am coming!” he called back, hurrying so he would not miss out on walking with the Prince and his two brothers to dinner; however, his foot slid in the water he’d spilled and the Adan slipped.

With a soft cry of surprise, Estel fell onto the floor and landed on his knees. His foot struck the leg of the table and unbalanced it, which sent the washbasin, the pitcher, and the stack of towels on the table to the floor in a crash of porcelain and water. At once, his door was flung open and his twin brothers came through, where they began worrying over him. Estel sat on his rear on the floor, rubbing his aching knees; Elladan and Elrohir began their lecture in tandem, one picking up where the other left off, while they mopped up the water with the already soaked towels.

“You never take care!” Elladan admonished as he threw one soaked towel into the basket beside the table where dirty towels were stored until a servant bore them away for washing. Elrohir went on to rebuke, “Always you are breaking things and knocking things over.” As the younger twin tossed his soaked towel into the basket, the elder started again, chiding, “You are lucky you didn’t break a leg, Estel.”

In their worry, the twins were lecturing the Adan instead of comforting him. Although ten years old – nearly eleven years, as he was eager to remind everyone – Estel was a child still, and having just hurt himself and now having his brothers fussing at him for making a mess was injurious to his pride. The Adan could feel the threat of tears forming in his eyes and his breathing hitched a time or two. Even though he knew Elladan and Elrohir were fretting because they were always worried for his well-being, it did not make it hurt any less that they lectured before they had even asked if he was all right.

“Do you know what I think, Estel?” the Prince asked the human, for he had come into the room with the twins although he had stood at the doorway until now.

Suddenly aware he was on the verge of tears with Legolas watching, Estel sniffled a time or two and tried to blink the liquid from his eyes. He already felt silly for running away from the Prince earlier, for he had decided since then that Legolas had only been teasing about turning him into a spiderling – or so he hoped.

“What do you think?” he queried in return. Legolas pushed between Elladan and Elrohir to help the human into standing and then helped Estel into sitting on the edge of his bed, careful to keep him away from the shards of porcelain and from slipping again in the water.

“I think if you wanted to go swimming, you should have just said so.” Legolas stepped back, winked at the Adan, and then stomped his foot in the puddle of water the human had made in the floor, sending the liquid flying through the air in a spray hitting both Elladan and Elrohir as they tried to pick up the broken shards of the pitcher.

Estel forgot his tears when the twins were splattered with water, for they good-naturedly cried out with nonsensical curses. “And if _we’d_ wanted to go swimming,” Elladan began to complain to Legolas with Elrohir finishing, “ _we_ would have just said so.”

This time, when Legolas cheerfully laughed, Estel found himself giggling right along with him.

“Let’s go, Estel, and leave the cleaning up to your brothers,” the Wood-Elf said blithely, holding his hand out to the Adan. “We can’t keep Lord Elrond waiting. And, since I’m afraid I might not remember how to find your Ada’s study without help, I think I need an escort.”

The twins were glaring in mock anger at the Wood-Elf, although their smiles showed their own mirth. Estel could not have known it, but the twins were pleased to see Legolas was willing to befriend the Adan. As he slid his much smaller and smoother hand into the Silvan’s stronger, larger, and callused hand, Estel decided, _Surely a Wood-Elf wouldn’t be so nice to any human who he planned to use for his magic!_

The Wood-Elf was still laughing as they walked from the room. He had never seen anyone get the better of his twin brothers. The Imladrian Elves were respectful of Elladan and Elrohir because they were the sons of the Lord of the house but Estel had never seen anyone treat his foster brothers so insolently, even if it was done playfully – well, other than Elrond, but he did not pull pranks as did the twins. He often teased them and Estel but not like this.

More importantly, Estel had never had anyone take his side against the twins. In fact, this was the very first time Estel could remember when anyone took his side at all. Elrond always sided with Elladan and Elrohir when it came to decisions made about what Estel should be doing, learning, and playing; when he had done something wrong, the three always seemed to have the same lecture for him. Certainly, it was a simple matter, but to the young human, who had always felt to be the lesser amongst the Elves in his foster family, having Legolas stand up for him against the twins’ lecture was a novelty – and a welcome one, at that.

As he pulled Legolas along the hallway, Estel forgot the sting of his bruised knee and the cold water drenching his leggings. He forgot about the lecture he had almost received. And for the moment, he quite forgot about the twins having warned him Legolas was a dangerous Wood-Elf to be feared by Edain children. For the first time in his short life, Estel had met someone who had chosen to spend time with him over his Elven brothers; he found himself hoping that perhaps he and the Wood-Elf could be friends, after all.


	3. Chapter 3

After greeting Elrond, who had known and been visited by Legolas since the Wood-Elf had been an Elfling about as young as Estel was now, the Prince sat at the table on the open terrace. In Elrond’s massive study were stands for various statues, maps, and other items of lore, and rows upon rows of shelves housing books and scrolls. Outside the study, there ran a terrace upon which the Peredhel grew herbs for his apothecary, but there also sat a table around which Elrond’s family often gathered to eat together when they desired privacy rather than the bustle of the hall of fire where most who stayed in the Last Homely House took their meals in common. It was at this table Legolas sat with the Adan child who had led him to Elrond’s study.

Estel had talked the whole way here, causing the Prince to think with delight, _If this child listens half as well as he speaks, he’ll know all Elrond knows before he reaches his majority._

As the child took up again the thread of the almost entirely one-sided conversation he’d been having with Legolas in telling the Wood-Elf about how he planned to explore the wilds when he was older, in delectation, Elrond shook his head at the Prince while Estel’s attention was upon his plate. The elder Elf was as amused by the Adan as was the Silvan, it seemed, and with an exasperated sigh told the child, “At least close your mouth while you chew. Legolas will be here for months. You need not say all that comes to mind the first day you’ve met him or you’ll have nothing to talk about by the time he leaves.”

The human seemed to take this advice seriously, although Elrond was jesting. With a paternal concern extending to the Silvan Prince, whom the Peredhel loved as one of his own, as well, Elrond watched Legolas gather food onto his plate, ensuring the Prince was choosing enough to nourish him. Always the Noldorin Lord was careful of keeping those he loved well fed, in good health, and happy.

Once Legolas was eating and Estel had finally given up trying to talk with his mouth full, Elrond said with a knowing smile, “Why are your trousers wet, Estel, and why is it I sent Elrohir and Elladan to find you both and yet you two arrive without them?”

Estel was stuffing hunks of bread into his mouth, occasionally pausing only to take a bite of the huge wedge of cheese on his plate – the human ignored the vegetables and fruit laid out for their meal and chose only venison, soft bread, and sharp cheese to fill his plate and belly. Matter of factly, the Adan child told his foster father, “They were being mean and so we left them behind.”

The human likely could not yet hear it but Legolas had already heard the approach of the twins in question, so was not surprised when the elder of Elrond’s sons complained to Estel, “We are never mean, brother dear.”

His pale face turning an embarrassed pink, the young human only grinned at his foster brothers upon being caught speaking ill of them. Elrohir settled in the chair next to Legolas, alluding to Estel’s breaking the water pitcher by vaguely telling Elrond, “Sorry to be late, but we had to clean up a small flood.”

Across the table, Estel frowned at Elrohir, as if troubled whether the Noldo would tattle on him for breaking the water pitcher, but neither twin did so; after a moment, the human went back to eating with as much relish as before.

For his part, Elrond did not question what the twins were talking about nor why Estel thought his brothers to be mean. With another shake of his head, the Peredhel drew to him a ledger sitting next to his plate; Elrond began to flip through the pages of the ledger with a studious glance at each leaf of paper and the notations and diagrams painstakingly written thereon. Often the Imladrian Lord would have a book with him at the dinner table, for Elrond rarely took repose when he could be working.

He watched Estel impatiently gulping water to wash down his half-chewed bread; Legolas could not help but to beam at the young Adan. He had known Elrond had taken a human child under his care and had expected for Elladan and Elrohir, like their father, to treat the child as one of their own family, as they were kind souls who welcomed any and all to Rivendell with open arms and warm hearts. Legolas was contented that his Noldorin friends were no longer irritated with their human brother. He had known the Adan for only a few hours, but the Wood-Elf already felt protective of the youngster. Earlier, when Elladan and Elrohir had been fussing at the Adan, Legolas had noted the human’s hitching breath and seen how Estel was nearly in tears, all of which had endeared the Adan to him, for Legolas was tenderhearted anyway, but more so for the very young and very old, for animals, and for the weak and helpless.

Now, as he listened to the three brothers begin to banter back and forth about some trivial topic Legolas had not caught the start of and so did not understand, the Wood-Elf wondered about how easily Elrond and his sons had embraced the young human into their family. Amongst the Elves and especially in recent times, Elven children were fewer and thus more precious than children seemed to be amongst the humans. It seemed to Legolas the Secondborn were wont to propagate as often and as quickly as possible, but the Firstborn tended to have few children and were not as eager to bring Elflings into life when there was war, strife, or perilous times at hand.

As he wondered of how quickly he’d taken to Estel, Legolas thought perhaps he also felt defensive of the child because the Prince had known so few Elflings in his years and had chanced only a few encounters with young humans, so he had little experience with them. However, he knew Edain children at Estel’s age were less mature than Elves of similar age and because of their mortality were highly susceptible to disease and injury. Children of any race were a treasure, by Legolas’ thinking, for they were not yet polluted by the greediness, bloodlust, and despair often tainting the minds and hearts of their elders. It was refreshing to see such innocence in Estel.

So caught up was he in watching with amusement as the young human stuffed himself silly with food, Legolas forgot to listen to the conversation around him and so missed Elladan’s question to him. He realized he had let his mind wander when Elrohir poked him in the ribs to get his attention, saying jestingly, “You mustn’t stare at the human, Greenleaf, even if he does eat like a pig at the trough.”

To his further enjoyment, Estel laughed at his foster brother’s mocking, though he did slow down in gorging on dinner. Elladan repeated his question, saying, “You’ve been here for almost a quarter a day and not yet been in the river. Are we going swimming tonight or was your dip in Estel’s room enough? I think I would have a little more water for my swim,” he teased, referring to the puddle Estel had made when breaking his water pitcher on the floor of his room.

Elrohir pushed his emptied plate away and folded his arms on the table in front of him, challenging Legolas, “I, for one, demand a rematch. Last time we raced in the river, you cheated. This time I will win, I can feel it.”

Above all other exercise and activity, Legolas loved to swim. When he was very young, before his mother had died, Legolas had often come to Imladris with her, for the twins’ mother Celebrian and Legolas’ Naneth had been as close as sisters were; the Prince had spent many of his formative years with Elladan and Elrohir, with much of his time in the river. Indeed, his mother had often teased Legolas over how he spent more time in the Loudwater than the fish. Certainly, the Silvan loved the woods and the lifesong of the trees therein, the nacreous shine of the stars at night, and the sun for making the green things grow, but the Prince had always preferred to be in the water if given the choice. Knowing this and fond of swimming themselves, the Noldorin twins were ever happy to idle the hours away in the Bruinen with their Silvan friend.

“Of course, I am going swimming tonight,” he answered. Legolas drained his cup of fruit sweetened water, his thoughts already turned to the Loudwater. He swam in the Forest River in the Greenwood often enough, but the water of the Bruinen carried memories of many blissful days he had spent as an Elfling in Rivendell, with his mother and the twins, who were like the siblings he had never had – he did not have the same fond memories of the stark and unwelcoming forest he called home. Legolas added as he sat his cup back on the table, “And I am more than willing to best you at another race, Elrohir. This time, I may even give you a head start so you have a chance to win.”

The day was yet young. In fact, they were having the evening meal much earlier than the Prince was accustomed to, although he imagined this might be because of Estel. While his Noldorin family might have normally waited until nearly eventide to eat, they ate now because the human needed consistent nourishment at regular intervals, whereas the adult Elves did not. _There will be plenty of time for swimming tonight until the stars come out,_ he thought with wistful longing to be in the water already, _and then we can dry on the bank and watch Tilion steer Ithil across the sky._

Estel had been paying attention to all this with adamant curiosity. He had not yet been asked to go with them but Legolas would change this – by the looks of the human’s eager albeit worried face, it was obvious Estel ached to be amongst his brothers and the Prince and feared he might be ignored. Happy at the prospect of pleasing Estel with something as simple as an invitation, Legolas first asked the Adan child, “Do you know how to swim?”

Enthusiastically, Estel nodded and told him, “Elladan and Elrohir taught me how to swim in the shallows.”

Shaking his head in false disappointment, Legolas commiserated with Estel, saying, “That’s terrible to hear. If your brothers taught you to swim, it’s a wonder you haven’t sunk to the river bottom like a stone.”

Closing his ledger shut with a snap, Elrond laughed joyfully before telling them all, “If you plan to take Estel with you, you had best be off. He ought not to be in the river after dark.”

“So I can go?” the Adan asked. Estel clearly thought the Wood-Elf would be the one who would not want him to tag along – this was evinced by his looking directly to the Prince, querying, “You don’t mind if I join you?”

To see how the human thought he was not wanted because Legolas was there, as if the Prince would usurp his brothers from him, made the Wood-Elf even more keen for the human to come with them. He stood, causing Elladan and Elrohir to stand also, and the Adan child to bound to his feet just a moment later.

“I should hope you will join us.” As he pushed his chair in, Legolas gave the human a conspiratorial wink, saying, “You can be the witness to me beating your brothers in the race, should they later fib and again tell everyone I cheated.”

Much as they had done earlier, although now for very different reasons, Estel’s silver eyes grew in tandem with his ever-widening smile. “I will get ready,” the human said as he fled the terrace to find suitable clothing for their swim.

Legolas watched the human run off and was amazed at how easily thrilled the child was by merely being included. He told Elrond and the twins, “He acted as though he thought I wouldn’t want him around.”

“It is difficult for him to be amongst the Elves,” Elrond said as he gathered the plates upon the table to place upon the tray that a servant would eventually fetch to take to the kitchens. “Few know how to speak to him, how to endure his enthusiasm, his curiosity. They either avoid him because they find him pestersome or they patronize him, though with good intentions, because they think since he is human and young he is frail and ignorant.”

“I must admit I know little of human children, but this coming year I will learn all I can,” the Wood-Elf said as he helped the Peredhel in clearing up the table, handing the glasses over to Elladan to place next to the plates upon the salver. “Besides, if he is your son then he is my brother,” he told Elrond. “Perhaps this brother won’t call me a cheater,” he joked to the twins.

Although the Prince did not see it, for he was busy putting the last of the plates upon the serving tray, Elladan and Elrohir were sharing an unspoken satisfaction with their father over the Prince’s declaration. They loved the Adan as much as they loved Legolas and thought of both as family, so it was important to the Noldorin twins and their father for the Wood-Elf and human to accept each other as family, as well.

Once the mess of dinner was cleared, the twins and Prince said their goodnights to Elrond, who wished them a goodnight and a good time, and who gave the twins a final reminder to take care of Estel.


	4. Chapter 4

_I will miss all the fun,_ he rued, as each task he set about completing seemed to take too long for his liking. Having forgotten to take off his boots before trying to remove his trousers, the human had to yank and pull them this way and that way until finally they were free. As quickly as he could, Estel changed into looser, lighter trousers in which he could swim without hindrance. He took off his heavy tunic and found a lighter shirt, his haste so great that he left his discarded clothes in a pile in the floor. He told himself as he ran from his room and into the hall, _I have to hurry!_

The Adan had been listening for Legolas to go to his chambers but he hadn’t heard the Wood-Elf enter his rooms; since the door was open, he could see the Prince was not inside. Thinking Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir might have gone straight to the river, Estel ran through the halls and darted around the Elves who he passed, in his rush nearly knocking over a she-Elf, but did not think to give an apology for his mind was focused solely upon joining his brothers and their friend.

Truthfully, it was very early spring and thus not quite the time of year for swimming – for humans, anyway. For the Elves, the cold water would not bother them at all, but for Estel, the frigid river would end up giving him a chill, he knew, but neither the twins nor Elrond had thought of this, and even had they, Estel likely would have snuck out to join his brothers, anyway. Although everyone in the Last Homely House treated him kindly, few tried to befriend him. They were many, many years his senior, of course – even the Elflings – and so he had little in common with anyone. The same could be said of his foster brothers, as well, but they loved him as their brother and so befriended him naturally. The Silvan Prince, Estel hoped, would be his friend, also, and since Legolas was planning to swim with the twins, he would not be left behind, not even if it meant he might turn to an icicle in the process.

From experience, Estel knew whenever the twins went swimming, they always went to the same spot. It was to their regular spot he ran. Stairs were carved in the living rock of the hillside so climbing the incline to this part of the Bruinen was easy, even for someone with short legs as he had. As he ran, the Adan saw the sun was just beginning to dwindle off in the west, though it would be at least two more hours before it set. Once set, Estel would be expected to be in his room for the night. Until then, he planned to make the most of this evening, for he very much wanted to be judge to the race the twins and Prince were planning to have, just as Legolas promised him he could do.

Estel crashed through a thicket of brambles, heedless of the pricks of the thorns, and waded through the towering, flowering grasses to the riverside. Legolas had not yet shown, but the twins were already shirtless and sodden, standing in the Loudwater and laughing at something. This part of the Bruinen ran wider than deeper, such that the water moved slowly before it narrowed, quickened, and eventually tumbled off the stepped rocks of the cascading waterfall farther down the watercourse. For the tall twins, the water just reached their elbows, but for Estel, once he stood on the silt, the river would almost be up to his neck.

“Here he is!” Elrohir called upon noticing Estel had arrived. “Get your boots off, brother, and be ready to watch me outswim a Wood-Elf.”

“There is little chance of that,” Elladan ribbed Elrohir as he smacked the surface of the river to send a spray of liquid onto his already drenched twin. “Whether he cheats or not, you know Greenleaf will win.”

“Of course, I will!” the laughing Prince called as he approached.

As he stepped through the thicket, the Prince was pulling off his shirt. When done, he laid it over the leafy exterior of a nearby bush for safekeeping. The Silvan was neither as tall nor as brawny as were Estel’s foster brothers. Legolas wasn’t skinny or undersized, by any means, but he was shorter than the twins were and though muscled, he was lithe, his body made more for climbing trees and running through forests. As Estel pulled his boots off at the river’s edge, Legolas sat beside him on the bank to do the same.

Being young and unaware of how his words might cause insult – had it been someone other than the generally benevolent Prince of Mirkwood, that is – the human asked, “Does being smaller than Elladan and Elrohir make you a faster swimmer?”

So dark amber they were nearly black, both of the Silvan’s brows rose in surprise upon his forehead. The joyful Elf smiled at the young Adan, telling him, “No. Your brothers are just slow.”

“We’re slow?” Elladan asked as he pushed his twin such that with a laugh Elrohir fell over into the river. “We beat you here.”

“Come on,” Elrohir told the Adan and Wood-Elf in a sputter as he rose from the water. “Get in here, Estel. You are going to mark the end of the race as well as be the judge.”

Glad to be involved, the Adan walked out into the cold water, although he immediately wondered if maybe he shouldn’t have watched from the bank. But it was too late now to renege on his duty of declaring the winner of the race, so he waded out gamely until he was near the twins. Legolas followed just behind. Hiding a shiver, the human child stood in a circle with the others as they contemplated the rules of their race.

Elladan pointed down the river to a weeping willow tree whose branches hung so low over the Bruinen they nearly touched the water. He told Elrohir, Legolas, and especially Estel so he could ascertain the rules were followed, “To that tree’s limb, which you must hit with your hand, and then back. First one to return to where Estel is will be the winner.”

Teasing each other and laughing, the three Elves stood in an even line just in front of Estel, leaving enough space between them so they could swim without flailing and striking each other as they did so. For a moment, the human waited quietly until Legolas turned around to remind him with a grin, “We start on your say, Estel.”

“Go!” he shouted. At once, two of the three friends were on the move. Elladan dived forward to gain ground, Elrohir took a few long steps before beginning to swim, but the Wood-Elf Prince stood with his hands on his hips. Thinking Legolas had not heard him, the Adan said, “Go, Legolas!”

But the Wood-Elf turned back to the Adan, saying gleefully, “Not yet. I am giving them a chance to win!”

At this, Estel giggled. When the twins were halfway to the tree limb, the Prince finally began swimming. Unlike the twins, who swam with their heads above the water and made a great deal of racket with the smacking of their arms and legs on the surface, Legolas dove under the river and was out of sight. By the time Elrohir and then Elladan had slapped the tree limb and turned around to return to Estel, Legolas caught up to them. He hit the limb and then dove back under the water, once more hidden under the waves. When Elrohir was halfway back to Estel and seemed soon to be the winner, Legolas suddenly popped up from the river only a few feet from the Adan.

It might have been unsportsmanlike for Estel to cheer on the Silvan Prince instead of one of his own foster brothers, but the Adan had never seen anyone beat either twin at anything, and so he hailed, “Swim, Legolas! Elrohir’s right behind you!”

Indeed, Elrohir was swimming as fast as he could, especially now that he saw the Prince was in front of him. With his arms and legs kicking and thrashing at the river, the younger twin seemed determined to win. Although Elrohir was just behind him, Legolas stopped swimming. The Wood-Elf turned to look at Elrohir to mock good-naturedly, “Your old age is showing; I even gave you a head start!”

And then, the Silvan was under the river’s veneer again. For the life of him, Estel could not find the Prince in the water. Once he dropped beneath the surface of the river, Legolas seemingly disappeared. Just as Elrohir was about to reach out to Estel to declare himself the winner, the Prince popped up from the river just in front of the Noldo, which caused Elrohir to fall back in surprise, where he fell into the water with an oomph of shock that was soon drowned out when his head went under the surface. With a snigger of delight, the Silvan clapped Estel upon the shoulder and won the race with little effort.

Elladan finally caught up, having not been trying very hard to win – or so it seemed to Estel. With a wicked cackle, the elder twin pushed Elrohir’s head back in the river when Elrohir tried to rise from the water. “You should have been an otter, Greenleaf,” Elladan teased.

Now the race was over, Estel waded out of the river. Try though he might, he could not stop shivering. Even with the fading sun shining down upon him, he was chilled. As he sat upon the bank, smiling in pleasure despite being cold, he watched Elrohir, Elladan, and Legolas as they tried to drown each other in the water. He had never seen his twin foster brothers act like Elflings, but around the Wood-Elf Prince, the twins felt they could be as silly as they would have been when the three longtime friends were younger. When Legolas pulled himself onto the bank, flopping down upon his back in a fit of laughter at Elrohir and Elladan’s antics, the human tried to quell his quivering flesh so no one would notice he was cold. The last thing he wanted was for his foster brothers to send him back to the house to warm himself – not if the three Elves intended to remain at the river to play.

“What do you think, Estel?” the Prince asked jovially as he crawled to his knees and then to his feet. Coming to stand and then to sit next to the Adan, Legolas continued, “Did I cheat or are your brothers just old and slow?”

He considered the question earnestly. He was loath to accuse the Silvan of cheating, although clearly, he had disrupted Elrohir’s swimming by jumping up in front of him; however, Legolas had not needed to cheat to win, as fast as he could swim. In the interest of not upsetting his new friend, he told the Prince, “Both, I think.”

At this, Legolas threw his head back and laughed heartily, drawing the attention of the twins in the water, who were now paddling closer to the shore. “It’s not fair, Greenleaf!” the younger twin shouted to them, while the elder twin agreed, “I think you have hidden fins and gills somewhere!”

The Wood-Elf and human sat on the bank for a while in companionable silence while the Noldorin twins continued to swim for a while longer, until Elladan told them, “Let us go fling ourselves off the ledge.”

Closer to the falls but not close enough to be dangerous,  a small rock ledge sat on the shore on the northern side, which was a well-known landmark, for it was the only one of its like amid the river’s normally grassy bank. It stood only as tall as one of the Elves, but there the river was deeper and ran swifter than the shallows where they swam now. The Adan had never been allowed to swim there before. Not wanting to be thought of as a baby, Estel did not bring this up as they all began to walk along the shore the short distance to the rapids. The night was nearly upon them. Since he was with his foster brothers, his Ada would not be too upset he was not in his rooms, but Estel was not often outside the house after dark. Of all places in Middle Earth, Imladris was one of the safest there was, but for a young Adan with little experience outside the valley, Estel found danger in every shadow and he was more than a little spooked.

 _I don’t want to leave, but there is no chance I am jumping,_ he decided.

Legolas and Elrohir were already climbing the overhang, laughing and jesting as they did so, while Elladan stayed behind with Estel. He told the Adan with a teasing smile, “Legolas is a fairly pleasant Elf, is he not?” Before Estel could answer, Elladan was whispering, “Well, nice enough anyway, leastways for an Elf who uses the toes from young human boys for his sorcery. How else do you think he can swim so fast?”

Dumbstruck, for the Adan had begun to think his brothers had been teasing him and thus had mostly put out of mind the strange story the twins had earlier told him, Estel swallowed thickly and turned to look at where Legolas was leaping off the ledge into the water. Intentionally, the Silvan did not dive gracefully but rolled himself into a tight ball so he struck the water with a great splash. _They must be joshing me,_ the Adan told himself. And yet, Estel had heard of and seen Elven magic for himself and he already knew about the great magical doors guarding the Elf-King’s underground palace in Mirkwood, so he also knew the Wood-Elves had magic of their own, even if it was not as potent as the magic of Elrond or the Lady Galadriel.

In a murmur, for Legolas was swimming back to the bank to watch Elrohir make his own leap from the ledge and the elder twin did not want the Prince to overhear, he told Estel, “Toes for speed, fingers for dexterity, and –”

Whatever Elladan had been about to tell the human was cut off when a chuckling Legolas came to shore, shouting out to Elrohir, “Go on then! See if you can make a bigger splash!”

Giving his human foster brother a meaningful look, Elladan whispered to Estel, “Don’t give him the chance to lop off any bits.”

With that, Elladan left to climb the embankment to reach the ledge just as Elrohir leapt, doing as had Legolas in rolling his body into a ball to make a great splash in the water. He and the Wood-Elf watched this, with the Prince calling out to Elrohir, “Well done. You finally beat me at something.”

Estel watched his laughing brothers and the Silvan, his unease at Elladan’s admonishment growing as he thought of how adept the Wood-Elf had been in swimming. He’d never seen an Elf move so well in the water. To Estel’s juvenile mind, it very well could have been sorcery causing the Wood-Elf to be so fast a swimmer.

Legolas was standing beside him, now, with an easy smile upon his fair face. “Will you jump from the ledge?” the Silvan asked him.

Slowly, the human backed away from the Elf, though he tried not to let on he was afraid. Forgetting that he did not want to jump from the ledge, the Adan thought instead of how to reach one of his brothers, and since Elrohir was in the water, Estel decided to go to Elladan instead, who was at the top of the ledge waiting for Elrohir to move from the way so he wouldn’t accidentally hit his brother when he jumped.

As he began the climb to the ledge, Estel turned to look at the Prince to ascertain if Legolas was following him. The Prince was watching the Adan with a mildly befuddled, albeit amused frown.

“Are you jumping?” Elladan asked with surprise. “Go on then, you can go before me. Elrohir is on the shore now.”

Once at the top of the small overhang, the human stood there in indecision while Elladan waited impatiently.

“What’s the matter?” Elrohir asked. Without the Adan’s noticing it, the younger Noldo had climbed up the ledge at seeing the human dithering on the edge. “Jump, Estel. You’ll enjoy it.”

He could either throw himself off the ledge and hope he didn’t drown in the rapids or he could climb back down to where the Prince was watching him with a strangely keen look upon his face. _If I don’t jump, Legolas will think I’m a baby,_ he lamented as he looked down the relatively short distance to the water underneath. Given that Estel was quite sure the Silvan Prince was only being nice to lure him into complacency so he could harvest a few fingers and toes, Estel was not sure why he cared whether the Prince thought him a baby or not.

However, in the end, the choice was taken from him. Behind him, his mischievous twin foster brothers had grown tired of watching the Adan vacillate about whether to leap. Each of them taking hold of the Adan under his arms, one twin per arm, they lifted and swung the unsuspecting and unprepared human out over the ledge, letting go to drop him neatly into the briskly moving river below.


	5. Chapter 5

He was utterly unprepared, being that his twin foster brothers had taken it upon themselves to cast him into the algid water, and so Estel flailed his arms and legs while flying the short distance through the air. When he hit the surface of the river back first, he landed with a loud smack, while the cold water of the river caused all the air in his lungs to flee him in a great whoosh. While it wasn’t terribly painful, his back, arms, and legs stung from the sudden impact and the surprise of this drove from his mind all he had learnt about how to swim. His muscles seemed to contract, his lungs tightened in his seized chest, and his mind went blank. It was only chance he pulled in a deep breath before going under the surface of the river, for his great inhale had been taken with the intent of letting loose a great screech. He never got the chance to scream, though, because once he was under the water, instinct made him close his mouth to hold in his breath.

For a brief moment, he bobbed back up, his head breaking the river’s veneer, and he managed to take in another breath. _Help me,_ he thought to his brothers but was unable to say. In that transitory instant of being above the surface, Estel could see the twins upon the ledge, laughing at the joke they had pulled on him; he could see Legolas, too, who was also chuckling at the Adan. He knew his brothers had not thrown him in spitefully, but rather as a prank, so decided as his head went back under the surface, _Surely they will jump in now so I don’t drown!_

The current along with his flailing and twisting disoriented the young human. He opened his eyes under the water in hopes of finding his way to the top of the river, but with Anor now set, the water was dark without sunlight upon the surface. Estel could not tell up from down. Ignorant of which way to try to go, Estel twisted about uselessly, the air in his lungs growing scarce, until he began to sink like a stone to the riverbed.

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Legolas laughed right along with the Noldor in watching the Adan’s surprise as he flew through the air. It wasn’t until Estel’s head broke free and the Prince saw the terror upon the human’s face that he thought, _Didn’t Estel tell me he hadn’t yet learnt to swim in the rapids? Though this is hardly the rapids, perhaps he isn’t as proficient at swimming as he claimed._

If the Adan had only calmed, he would have been able to swim easily enough. The water did not run so swiftly that it was dragging him quickly down the watercourse towards the falls, nor was it so choppy it was pulling the child under. No, Estel’s fright kept him from employing the lessons he’d been taught in swimming. To Legolas, it seemed the human wasn’t even trying to paddle.

 _He is in a dead panic,_ the Prince thought with sudden worry. _He must have sunk to the bottom!_

“Is he alright?” he called up to the Noldorin twins who stood upon the ledge still. They had ceased snickering and were watching the river with mild concern for the unseen Adan. As Legolas had thought, so thought the twins – Estel should have easily been able to swim in this part of the river.

“He should have come up by now. It’s like he isn’t even trying to swim,” the elder twin commented, echoing Legolas’ earlier thoughts, while the younger one shouted out, “Estel! Brother! Just swim!”

When after several more moments the Adan still did not surface, Legolas waited no longer. Truly, he was the fastest swimmer between them. Besides, the twins stood on the ledge and might have hit the human child should they dive in from there, which could injure Estel or the twin trying to save him. And so, without a second thought, the Wood-Elf bounded off the bank and into the river. Although it was dark out, as an Elf he needed only the moonlight to see under the relatively clear water of the Bruinen. Even still, the Adan had been wearing dark clothes, had dark hair, and was not in the same place as where he had entered the river. Legolas thought he would be able to find the child immediately but unfortunately, he did not. He could hear the twins shouting from above the river’s veneer, calling both the Adan’s name and the Silvan’s name, for they could see neither in the Loudwater.

 _Where has he gone?_ the concerned Elf deliberated, moving through the water in sleek, rapid darts. Farther down the river he swam, towards the inevitable falls, although currently they were nowhere near close enough for Estel or the Prince to be in danger – that is, if he found Estel in time.

Sightlessly, Legolas reached out with his hands to feel for the human who he feared he might pass up because he could not see him. Finally, his hand lit upon what felt like hair. Legolas grabbed hold of the Adan’s curly mop in a tight grip lest he lose Estel and then have to hunt for him again. He did not want to chance not being able to find the human another time because it might then be too late. Although the Firstborn could hold their breath longer than the Secondborn, the sharp pang of needing to breathe was upon Legolas, which to the Prince evinced that the human must be starving for air. By the hair of Estel’s head, the Wood-Elf yanked the child up towards the scant moonlight playing upon the river’s rippling surface. He broke first, inhaling huge gulps of air, while dragging Estel ever upwards.

Once Estel’s head was above the water, Legolas could see the child was still conscious, at least, although his bright, silver eyes were vacant of understanding – they held only fright. Legolas released the Adan’s hair and tried to grab onto his arm so he wouldn’t be hurting the child as he took him to shore, but the moment after the Adan drew in a breath, he began to thrash once more.

“Calm, Estel!” the Prince shouted at him in hopes Estel could hear over the sounds the human was making in slapping the water in his efforts to save himself.

But Estel did not calm. Legolas thought the child was threshing the water because he did not yet know he was saved and so was finally trying to swim, or perhaps Estel didn’t know who or what had him and fought because he feared he was in danger. Regardless, Legolas was not about to let go of the human.

The child was looking right at the Wood-Elf, causing Legolas to hope he would pay attention when he tried again, saying, “Estel, stop, please. Let me take you to –”

The Prince’s words were cut short when the young human’s elbow struck him in the face, across the bridge of his nose and on his left eye. Instinctively, Legolas let go of the human to grab at the abrupt, intense pain in his eye, while with his other hand he paddled to remain afloat.

“Greenleaf!” came a harried shout to the side.

Legolas looked through his uncovered, unhurt eye to where the twins were running towards them, though they were still on the shore. At once, the Wood-Elf noticed he and the Adan were far beyond the ledge from which they had been jumping, which meant they were even closer to where the Bruinen truly began to pick up pace, where it would begin its rapid descent down the incline towards the dangerous falls.

The twins were now wading out into the river but as they moved, Elladan was shouting, “Grab him, Greenleaf!”

The Prince forgot about his throbbing face and eye and instead turned to where he thought Estel would still be – that is, right in front of him. Instead, the still fighting, still threshing human was being carried along the current of the river and was already beyond Legolas’ reach. At once, the Wood-Elf was back under the water, his body moving like a serpent as he sped towards the Adan. This time he had no trouble keeping his hold of the human, for this time, Legolas grabbed Estel by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to shore by it so he could avoid the child’s flailing limbs. The cloth of the shirt began to rip but Legolas only swam faster, hoping he was not choking Estel in the process.

By the time Legolas’ knees were upon the grassy bank, the twins were already back on the shore, at ready to grab the Adan. His chest heaving for air, his nose running blood, and his eyes watering from both the sting of the river water and the blow he’d taken, Legolas gracelessly flopped to the ground. He pushed his damp hair from his face and watched as the twins hovered over their human foster brother.

“Sweet Eru,” Elladan was telling them all as he dropped to his knees beside the human to check him over. “I thought we had lost you, Estel.”

“If Legolas hadn’t jumped in when he did, you would still be at the river’s bottom!” Elrohir added as he hugged the human child to him, only for Elladan to follow suit just a moment later.

With his brothers now around him, Estel had stopped fighting, at least, although from his face he was still beside himself with terror. Even though he was now out of the water, he stared at Legolas as if the Wood-Elf would throw him back in to drown him. Being that the Silvan Prince had just rescued the child from the river, Legolas was flummoxed as to what he’d done to cause the Adan to fear him so greatly.

 _He wasn’t trying to swim; he was trying to fight me off the whole time I was trying to save him,_ the bewildered Prince decided. _What is going on here?_

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They walked back up the shore to where their boots and clothes were, with Estel being hugged and fussed over by the twins in turns. When they finally let him loose, Estel sat on the grass and shivered as if it were midwinter instead of early spring. At seeing this, Legolas stood, grabbed his shirt from the bush where he’d laid it, and handed it to the twins, who gratefully removed their foster brother’s sodden shirt and replaced it with the Silvan’s dry shirt. Neither twin had worn their tunics to the river; else, they would have wrapped the child in those, as well. Elladan and Elrohir were murmuring and comforting him but the Adan was not listening to their words; the tones of their voices were pacifying, however.

When the Silvan began to sniffle, the twins stopped fretting over Estel and turned to the Prince to see Legolas’ nose had not stopped pouring blood. Estel sat there quietly with the Wood-Elf’s shirt swallowing him in its soft, warm folds, while the twins began to bother over the Silvan, instead. He was glad not to be the center of attention anymore. He couldn’t decide whether to feel ashamed for hitting the Silvan, gratitude for the Prince having saved him, or anger at the twins for fooling him about Wood-Elves.

“It’s our fault,” Elrohir was explicating to the Prince.

Elladan had ripped off a piece of the human’s already torn undershirt, soaked though it was, and was holding it to Legolas’ face, where the blood was running freely from the Prince’s nose. Already, the flesh around the Silvan’s left eye, the bridge of his nose, and his left cheekbone were swelling and darkening a reddish color from the blow Estel had given him with his elbow.

With an amused smile, the Prince pushed Elladan’s hand away and held the cloth up to his face on his own, telling Elrohir, “Of course it is your fault. You two threw him into the river! You startled him so badly he forgot to swim.”

“No, no. We mean it is our fault he fought you the whole time you tried to save him.” Elladan was shaking his head, deploring how their silly joke had hurt Legolas and almost cost them their Adan brother. He turned to look at Estel; seeing the human was fine for the moment, the elder Noldo told his Woodland friend, “Elrohir and I were teasing Estel today, before you arrived and again before we threw him off the ledge. We told him Wood-Elves used bits and pieces of human children for their magic. We never thought it would cause this much trouble.”

In the dark of the night, with only the moon shining down through the boughs of the trees, Estel saw his twin brothers’ faces were as pale as Ithil’s light. They had played many pranks on him but never had one turned out so poorly.

To the human, Elrohir apologized, saying, “We’re sorry, Estel. We were just having a bit of fun. We never considered you would react so violently towards Greenleaf being near, but it is our fault for being so thoughtless.”

“And we should not have thrown you in the water,” Elladan added. His two brothers were truly sorry, this much he could tell.

Estel didn’t realize just how close he had come to drowning or how close he had drifted to the true rapids of the river, and so thought they were being overzealous in their apologies. And yet, they had made him look like a fool in front of the Prince, who he had hit because of their telling him Legolas was dangerous, and now he had likely ruined his chances of making friends with the Silvan. Snuggling the borrowed shirt more tightly about him, Estel buried his cold nose in the soft fabric, wondering how the Wood-Elf’s clothing smelled of pine needles and bergamot. His own clothing only ever smelled of mud and horse.

“It’s alright, I suppose,” he told his foster brothers. They smiled at him in thanks for his acceptance of their apology and the Adan couldn’t help but to smile back, although he told them in a bit of impish bribery, “But now I’m cold. I think I’ll need warm milk and some honeyed cakes before bed.”

The three Elves laughed at the human – even Legolas, Estel was glad to see. “Fair enough, little brother,” Elrohir agreed, affectionately threading his fingers through the long, sodden curls atop the human’s head.

“It is past your bedtime, actually,” the elder twin told his human brother, and then took his own turn in ruffling the human’s hair.

“Speaking of bedtime, Lord Elrond will be wondering where his sons are, especially his youngest,” Legolas told them as he gazed out to the dark sky, where the sliver of the moon hung like a sickle amidst a field of blooming stars. “We should be heading back to the house to get Estel warm.”

Although he’d started to feel better, at the reminder that he would have to explain to his Ada why he was late in going to bed, why he was shivering with cold, and why he had struck the Silvan Prince in the face, Estel felt his good cheer dissolve into anxiety again. Elrond had certainly never struck the human child, had never disciplined him beyond a scolding, and rarely ever raised his voice to Estel; however, none of that was necessary because the mere suggestion the Elf Lord was disappointed with him was enough to cause the Adan to want to cry.

 _Ada will be very disappointed in me tonight,_ he agonized. _Once he sees Legolas’ bleeding nose, I’ll have to stay in my room for a week! Which means I won’t get to go with Legolas and the twins for a whole week!_ Now he knew the twins had been teasing him about Wood-Elves, Estel once more wanted only for the Silvan to be his friend – that is, if the Prince hadn’t now decided he was nothing but a pestersome child.

Elladan pulled Estel to his feet with a sigh, saying, “Yes, brothers, let’s get this lecture over and done with, shall we?”

“We have milk to warm and honeyed cakes to eat,” Elrohir agreed as he began off down the path.

Elrohir walked ahead of them and Elladan behind, with Estel in front of the Wood-Elf between the two Noldor. _I ought to say sorry,_ he advised himself. He had hoped to be the Prince’s friend, but bloodying the Wood-Elf’s nose was not the best way to go about it.

He slowed so he was walking beside the Prince. The cheery Wood-Elf did not seem angered at all, and in fact, smiled merrily at the human. “Are you well, Estel?” he asked the Adan.

“I’m fine. I only wanted to say I’m sorry.” Not paying attention to where he was going, the human nearly stumbled over a rock, for in the dark, in the shadow of the canopy of tree limbs overhead, he could barely see the path.

Surprisingly, Legolas laughed. He did not seem to be laughing at Estel for almost falling, though, but rather, Legolas seemed amused Estel was apologizing. “Think nothing of it. I have had a bloodied nose before. The bruise will fade, the swelling will lessen, and no permanent harm is done. I am only glad I found you in the water! I would much rather have a bloody nose than have a friend go missing in the Bruinen.”

He wrapped the Prince’s shirt more tightly around himself. His soaked pants were letting water run into his boots, which caused his feet to squelch with every step. His chest hurt from having held his breath for so longer under the river. His elbow even hurt from where he’d struck the Prince with it. All of this discomfort he promptly forgot at hearing the Wood-Elf name him friend.

“You mean you aren’t mad I hit you? I wasn’t trying to hit you, really,” he prevaricated. Stepping around another rock, Estel explained, “I mean – I was trying to get away from you, not hurt you. Not really.”

Legolas put his hand on the Adan’s shoulder. No longer afraid of the Wood-Elf, Estel did not flinch away from the Prince’s touch this time. “Your apology is accepted. No, I am not mad in the least. But I’m glad you know the truth now about your brothers’ lark.”

They walked that way for a while longer, with Legolas’ hand companionably on the now beaming human’s shoulder, until they were back at the Last Homely House and the human remembered he had to face his foster father. He told the Prince quietly, “Ada will be mad at me, even if you aren’t.”

In a conspiratorial whisper that the Prince knew the pleased twin Noldor could hear, even if they pretended not to be listening, Legolas shared with the Adan, “Do not worry, Estel. Your Ada will not be mad at you, either. Elladan and Elrohir will be receiving the lecture tonight!”


	6. Chapter 6

It was now night, the hallway was dark, and Estel was up far past his normal bedtime.

The Wood-Elf and Adan sat on a bench outside the Lord of Imladris' study. Through the thick wooden door leading within, the two could hear plainly the talking to Elladan and Elrohir were receiving from their father. In deference to the lecture occurring inside, they sat silently. Thus far, Elrond had told the twins that they had been careless, that they had been reckless, that their mischief would eventuate in someone getting seriously hurt, and that he was sorely disappointed in them. Never had Estel heard his foster father rant at his twin Elven brothers as he did now. It was of some amusement to him, however, for Elrond to be telling Elladan and Elrohir many of the things they often lectured him about, though, and so the young Adan hid the occasional smile while listening.

Beside him, the Wood-Elf had pulled free a loose string from his sodden trousers and was looping it around his finger, unlooping it, and then looping it again. The Prince was not fidgeting exactly, but rather occupying himself as if pretending he could not hear his two friends being fussed at in the room beyond. Just when Estel was about to begin speaking to pass the time, Legolas turned to the door, which caused Estel to look, as well. A few seconds later, Elrond opened the portal.

He smiled at the Wood-Elf and Adan, who rose from the bench upon Elrond saying, "Come in, young ones. Come in."

Together, they entered the Peredhel's study. Estel was amused to see that where they stood in front of their father's desk, Elladan and Elrohir were grinning at each other, though the moment Elrond turned to face them to walk farther inside, they dropped their heads and their identical visages became grave. As he followed behind his foster father, Estel turned to Legolas to note the Wood-Elf had observed the same as had he – they then grinned at each other in mirth.

 _They don't seem terribly upset to be yelled at,_ Estel happily told himself of his brothers. He had not wanted his brothers to be in trouble, for he had feared they would become mad at him since it was his inability to swim to have turned their prank into a near death experience.

When they had come to Elrond's study after leaving the river, the first thing the Peredhel had done was look over the young Adan child to ensure his well-being, but he did so again now, kneeling upon the floor to look into Estel's eyes, feel his face with his warm hands, and listen to the human's heartbeat. "Are you still feeling well?" he asked the human.

He told his Ada, "I am fine, I promise."

"No thanks to the brothers whose job it is to keep you safe!" Elrond exclaimed loudly, giving his matching progeny disappointed frowns. The Imladrian rose from the ground and faced the twins as though to restart his lecture.

Often had the twins soothed their Ada's irritation with Estel when he ignored his lessons, snuck out of the house, or otherwise disobeyed Elrond, and so the human was eager to repay his brothers for their kindness. "Ada," Estel tried to appease his father, who whirled back around to attend to the Adan, "it was only a joke. I promise," he said again, "I'm fine. Legolas is a fast swimmer. He got me out quickly."

"Thank Ilúvatar for Greenleaf… and thank Ilúvatar at least one of my Elven sons has some sense," Elrond rued, giving his true sons a glare before turning his thankful smile to Legolas, whom he had always considered a son, as he had known the Prince since the Wood-Elf was still in swaddling clothes. "Let me see your face, Greenleaf," he ordered kindly. "I did not check it properly earlier. Does it hurt?"

"Barely at all," the Wood-Elf replied. "I have endured worse."

The Prince stood patiently while the elder Elf whom he considered a second father poked and prodded the growing bruise upon his cheek, under his eye, and across the bridge of his nose. Estel stood beside the two, hopping from foot to foot, not feeling patient in the least. If his Ada were to become mad at him, it would be for hurting the Silvan, who was a guest in his father's house, an Elf whom he desperately hoped to befriend, and royalty, no less.

"Nothing appears to be broken. It will fade soon enough," Elrond decided. In the dim lamplight, dark shadows played over his Ada's face when he turned to Estel to ask, "What happened to make you hit Greenleaf, Estel? He jumped in to save you."

The Adan faltered for a moment. He shifted from foot to foot once more, shuffling his toes against the ancient tiles of the floor. No one had mentioned the tale Elrohir and Elladan had told Estel about Wood-Elves using bits and pieces of young human children for magic. At this point, no one wanted the twins to be in any further trouble, and so Estel fumbled for a suitable explanation not requiring him to admit to his believing his brothers' tale and thus potentially cause them a longer lecture.

For the second time this night, Legolas rescued the Adan, telling Elrond before Estel could speak, "It was all an accident. I'm quite sure the surprise of being thrown in the water made Estel forget he knew how to swim, and so he flailed a bit. As you say, nothing is broken and the bruises will fade. The important thing is Estel is well."

Estel relaxed at the Wood-Elf's conciliatory explanation. Legolas had not lied to Elrond but nor had he offered any more information than what would suffice. However, the sage Peredhel first stared at Legolas, then at the twins, and finally turned his incisive gaze to Estel. Yet, he asked no further questions, despite his doubts about there being more to be told.

"I wish to speak to your brothers for a while longer," he told Estel, bending down to the Adan to smooth his damp, curled, and wayward hair away from his face. With a loving, paternal smile, he asked, "Can you see to finding dry clothes by yourself?"

Although Estel nodded, Legolas offered, "I will help him. Besides, we have need of some warm milk, I should think. And maybe a small fire to warm his room before he goes to bed. There is a chill in the air this night."

 _And some honeyed cakes to go with fire and warm milk,_ the relieved Adan thought but did not say, since he was afraid his Elven father might veto his idea. Moreover, it pleased him to hear the Prince was coming along to build his fire and mayhap stay long enough to enjoy warm milk with him. Even though Legolas had told the Adan he held no grudge and had even called him friend, the child was still wary of losing the fledgling companionship he had with the Prince. He'd only known Legolas for less than a day but was already as admiring of the Wood-Elf as he was of his twin brothers. Legolas had not only saved his life – the Prince had been kind to the human, treated him like an equal, and made him feel like he desired his company. The young Adan was artlessly infatuated.

"That is a fine idea. Thank you, Greenleaf," the Peredhel told the Silvan Prince. Without regard to their wet clothing, Elrond first hugged the Wood-Elf and then the Adan, saying, "I will come check on you later, Estel. Be in bed by the time I get there," he warned gently.

Eagerly, the two left the study. Both Adan and Prince had been on the receiving end of Elrond's lectures before – Estel recently and often, and Legolas many years ago when an Elfling who had spent parts of his childhood amongst the Noldor in the valley. They were both glad to be away from the lecturing; Elrond did not often raise his voice to his sons or daughter and certainly never punished them severely, but still, none of his children could withstand their father's disappointment, for as much as they loved him, it hurt their hearts to think their loving father was mad with them.

Along their way, Legolas stopped one of the servants, who always seemed to be moving around the house, and to Estel's delight, the Prince politely asked for two cups of warm milk and a plate of honeyed cakes to be brought to the Adan's room. With a thoughtful smile and a look of amused appraisal for the two wet beings before her, the Elleth nodded her head and sped off to do as the Prince asked. Once inside the Adan's room, Legolas busied himself at the fireplace, building a small fire to clear the damp from the air and warm the room without making it too hot, while Estel shed his wet clothes and pulled on clean, dry trousers and a long shirt in which to sleep. In companionable silence, the two then sat on the floor in front of the fire, though Legolas was unbothered by the bite in the early spring air or the wetness of his clothes or hair.

"Your brothers pulled a grievous prank on you," the Prince said in all seriousness. Legolas shifted so he sat with his knees crossed, his back leant against the bed's mattress behind him; a moment later, the young human imitated him, which caused the Wood-Elf to smile before he grew solemn again to say, "You cannot let this go unavenged."

"I am no good at pranks!" he lamented to the Wood-Elf.

At that moment, the she-Elf knocked upon the casing of the open door ere she walked within carrying a tray. Legolas leapt up to take it from her, gave his thanks, and with a genuinely grateful smile, bid her goodnight. From where he sat on the floor, Estel watched in befuddlement as the Elleth blushed at the Prince, who had said or done nothing out of the ordinary and did not seem to notice how the Elleth stared at the Silvan with a strange twinkle in her eye. Eventually, she sighed dreamily and then left, leaving Estel to think,  _She looked at Legolas like the she-Elves look at Elladan and Elrohir! She-Elves are strange._

Resuming his seat upon the floor, Legolas handed Estel a cup of the warm milk, took his own to sit beside him, and then handed the Adan the entire plate of honeyed cakes. The cakes were small but there were four of them – Estel had never consumed so many cakes but he was more than willing to try. With relish, he began eating, stopping only to sip the warm milk.  _If almost drowning is good cause for having cakes and milk before bed, Elladan and Elrohir can throw me into the rapids every night,_ he told himself, for the ten year old still did not realize how close to drowning he had actually come.

His mouth now full of food, the Adan recommenced his complaint to Legolas, saying, "Elladan and Elrohir always figure out my pranks beforehand. Just this week I tried to add vinegar to the wine decanter in Elrohir's room; he ended up knowing it the moment he walked inside."

Legolas laughed cheerily, which made the human feel wonderful for some reason he didn't understand. Seeing Legolas laugh made the young Adan feel better about all manner of things that were neither here nor there in concerns to their conversation. The Wood-Elf's mere presence was a balm to his sometimes lonely, confused, and aching young soul.

"He likely smelled the vinegar long before he entered and already had reason to think you would prank him. Besides, Elven noses are keen, you must remember." Taking a long drink of his sweet, warmed milk, Legolas assured the human, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder, "I will help you, Estel. Together, we will find some way to pay them back! We have all this coming year to try."

 _At last! Someone who can teach me what I really want to know,_ he thought, his joy at having this new friend causing his smile to widen greatly. Anyone who was willing to start a war of pranks with the twins on his behalf was sure to be a good friend.

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In the end, Estel managed to eat only two of the cakes and drink only half his mug of milk before the warmth of the room and his full belly, combined with the swimming and turmoil of the day, caused him to nod off into sleep. With his head resting upon the bed's mattress behind him, the small human was slumped over, a cake in one hand and his mug dangling from the other. Carefully, Legolas took the cake and mug and replaced them upon the platter, and even more carefully, he slid his arms under the Adan's knees and behind his back to pick Estel up from the floor. The Wood-Elf gently placed the child upon the bed, slid the covers out from under and then over him, and pulled a chair next to the bedside to watch over him until Elrond and the twins showed.

The Wood-Elf lost track of time as he watched the gentle rise and fall of the Adan's chest. He hummed quietly, not wanting to wake the slumbering human. He thought it odd how content he was just to watch the young one sleep. The child's innocence and eagerness was endearing, certainly, and the Prince found himself very glad he had not put off visiting the valley any longer; else, since humans aged so quickly, he would have missed this part of the Adan's life.

Eventually, the three Elves whom he considered his second family – Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir – came within the open door of the room.

"He tires easily," Elladan said in his normal voice as he approached. At Legolas' admonishing glare, the Noldo laughed quietly and told him, "Don't worry; once he's asleep, Estel could snore through a thunderstorm."

The twins walked to the side of the bed opposite of where Legolas sat, while Elrond came to stand behind the Prince to place his hands upon the Wood-Elf's shoulders. In his own house, should his father have had the opportunity to rant at him for some wrongdoing as had Elrond done to his twin sons this evening, Legolas would not afterwards be found in his father's presence as the twins were now. The Wood-Elf's father was not as forgiving as was Elrond. But the twins had made their apologies, accepted the blame and the lecture, and been forgiven by Elrond for their lapse in reason – all was back to normal. In his youth, it had been his Naneth who had brought him to Rivendell; the love between Elrond's family members and those whom they loved as family had kept Legolas returning to Imladris long after his own mother died.

"You have made a friend for life," the Peredhel told the Prince, giving the Wood-Elf's shoulders a gentle squeeze ere he began threading his fingers through Legolas' golden hair, untangling it in absentminded fondness. "Not only did you save his life, show him kindness, and stand up to the twins on his behalf, but you gave him sweets before bed!" the elder Elf teased.

Legolas laughed before he quieted himself out of fear he would wake the human, but as Elladan had said, the Adan did not even twitch at the Wood-Elf's loud jollity.

"If only Arwen was here," the younger of the twins said, "then our whole family this side of the sea would be together."

"If Arwen was here, she would be fussing at you three for sitting on the furniture in wet clothes," the Peredhel told them, which caused the three young Elves to snicker, for they knew he was right.

The four of them stayed in Estel's room for a while longer, all of them happy merely to be together. None of them spoke for a long time. Elladan unbraided his twin's hair for him so it could dry ere Elrohir turned around and did the same for Elladan. Legolas sat quietly, peacefully, while Elrond rested his hands once more upon the Prince's shoulders, occasionally rubbing them or playing with the collar of the Silvan's shirt in fatherly affection.

Elrond, who had the gift of foresight, had not prevaricated when telling Legolas he'd made a friend for life. Though he did not perceive its details or its end, the Peredhel could see Estel and Legolas' friendship would remain over the years of their lives, would encounter hardship and travails, but would always endure. The Peredhel looked over the three Elves and one human in the room, all of whom were brothers, in his thinking, and smiled in joy that he had at least most of his family home for now.


End file.
